Subject: Review of David Hartwell's Year's Best SF

From: [email-masked] (Steven H Silver)
Date: Tue, 21 May 1996 20:55:28 GMT

YEAR'S BEST SF
	Edited by David G. Hartwell
	Review Copyright 1996 Steven H Silver

     For the past several years, Gardner Dozois has had the "best Science
Fiction of the year" market all to himself.  Although Dozois's collections
have been nice -- and large -- they reflect Dozois's own taste.  Since
Dozois edits one of the major science fiction magazines, his anthology
frequently contains a large share of stories from _Asimov's_, the magazine
for which Dozois purchased the stories in the first place.  Now, HarperPrism
and David G. Hartwell have teamed up to give Dozois some competition.
     Starting with the superficial: Hartwell's book is smaller -- mass
market sized, instead of trade or hardcover -- and cheaper -- $5.50 instead
of $16.95 -- than the annual Dozois opus.  The next, and more important
question, is how Hartwell stacks up against Dozois.
     Actually, that question isn't really fair.  Science fiction is large
enough to contain multiple "Best of Year" anthologies, and is stronger for
having the variety.  Hartwell has selected fourteen stories.  In addition to
pulling from the major magazines (_Analog_, _Asimov's_, _Fantasy & Science
Fiction_ and _Science Fiction Age_), Hartwell also raided anthologies such
as _Amazing Stories: The Anthology_, _Far Futures_, _Full Spectrum 5_ and
_New Legends_, and _Tomorrow_ Magazine.  Not surprisingly, the stories
Hartwell selected have a tendency towards a hard SF bent.
     Rather than discuss the individual stories which Hartwell chose, I'll
look at the book as a whole.  Hartwell's selections are a good mix of
serious fiction, such as Le Guin's "Coming of Age in Karhide" and Haldeman's
"For White Hill," and lighter pieces, notably Zelazny's "The Three Descents
of Jeremy Baker" and Barton's "In Saturn Time."
     The title claims these stories are the "Best SF" of the year, however,
the fans and members of SFFWA seem to disagree.  Only one of Hartwell's
selections, James Patrick Kelly's "Think Like a Dinosaur," was nominated for
a Nebula and Hugo Award.  This does not mean, however, that Hartwell's
choices are invalid.  Any "best of" anthology will be a matter of personal
taste.  Readers will question the inclusion of at least one story in any
such book.  Hartwell does a fantastic job of picking stories which are not
only worthy of being read, but which are worthy of attaining a more
permanent home than last months issue of (your favorite magazine's name
here).
                                         
CONTENTS

James Patrick Kelly
     Think Like a Dinosaur
Patricia A. McKillip
     Wonders of the Invisible World
Robert Silverberg
     Hot Times in Magma City
Stephen Baxter
     Gossamer
Gregory Benford
     A Worm in the Well
William Browning Spencer
     Downloading Midnight
Joe Haldeman
     For White Hill
William Barton
     In Saturn Time
Ursula K. Le Guin
     Coming of Age in Karhide
Roger Zelazny
     The Three Descents of Jeremy Baker
Nancy Kress
     Evolution
Robert Sheckley
     The Day the Aliens Came
Joan Slonczewski
     Microbe
Gene Wolfe
     Ziggurat

%E  David Hartwell
%T  Year's Best SF
%I   HarperPrism
%C  New York, NY
%D  May 1996
%G  0-06-105641-3
%O  PB $5.50
%P  479

Steven H Silver
Bibliographies on Jews in SF, Harry Turtledove, SF set in Chicago
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/4208/sfbiblio.html
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